


PokéPlanet: Pokémon Documentaries

by AnimalKrazed, UnderSeaWings (AnimalKrazed)



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Animal Instincts, Documentaries, Pokemon, Pokemon Battles, Pokemon Death, Service Animals
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:42:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 19,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28670943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnimalKrazed/pseuds/AnimalKrazed, https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnimalKrazed/pseuds/UnderSeaWings
Summary: Ever wonder what the Animal Planet equivalent looks like in Pokemon? Wonder no more, for I have decided to provide. If you have ever wanted to see a documentary on the natural life of Pokemon, take a look. If you have a Pokédex entry that you would like to see sketched out for your imagination, please leave a comment with the Pokemon and Pokédex entry.Some works were written by my friend UnderSeaWings and others by myself. I’ll have him linked via a Pseudo on my account for works he did. Apologies for the confusion in advance.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 8





	1. Krookodile 1: Attracting a Partner

At the hottest points of the Unovan desert day, it is a rare Pokémon that can stand the heat and even then they cannot do so for long. Some Pokémon, such as the Bravariy and Mandibuzz endure the heat by taking shelter in the shade of their cliffside nests. Others, such as Sigilyph and Yamask, shelter in the ruins of the civilization that once called this land their home. The majority of Pokémon, however, make due with the shade of underground burrows.”

Clear blue skies and tan sands cover the screen, clearly depicting far miles of near nothing. After a couple of different scenes depicting the different landscapes a desert can consist of, the screen settles on an offwhite sand dune, a burrow at it’s base, with a Flygon hovering nearby. The back of the Flygon faces the camera as the dragon hovers above the far side of the sand dune, showing that it has no idea the burrow is there.

“Flygon are among the most adaptable of the deep deserts inhabitants, in other regions of the world they are able to be found across a variety of environments. In the region of Unova, Flygon have found themselves as desert specialists. The red, transparent scale lens covering the eyes of Flygon protects it from the scouring sandstorms that they love to hunt within.

The hearing abilities of Flygon are astounding, able to pick up the smallest vibrations of a Nincada from over a mile away. The ear coverings that protect their ears from the sands of a sandstorm reduce their hearing ability to that of a human, which unfortunately does not provide them with soundproofing from sound attacks. These coverings are quite strong, and thus are employed to protect these vital organs during the event of predation and during life and death struggles.”

In the burrow below the Flygon, a rust red, scaled muzzle has exposed itself to the scorching heat of daylight. The muzzle opens and lets out a deep laugh, like something that might come from a menacing villain of a PokéStar film booms. The Flygon, actively searching for prey, his ear coverings relaxed so as to allow for the best reception of sound, startles. It zooms off into the distance, desperate to get away from the threat it now knew was below it.

The rust red, scaled muzzle continues it’s laughter for another minute before retreating back into it’s burrow. The screen hops from the view of the dune to a darkened screen, showing the shadowed interior of the deeper depths burrow, exposing a Krookodile. The Krookodile closes it’s eyes, and pants off the heat of the day, a successful way to rid itself of the heat.

“It is mating season for the Sandile line. The heat of summer is perfect for the preservation and incubation of eggs. The heat keeps the majority of would-be egg thieves deep in the shade of underground burrows and ruins, while the Krookodile parents can take turns guarding the nest as the other hunts in the night. However, due to the scarcity of prey large enough to sustain a Krookodile means that they have very large territories. While this is usual for apex predators, in the sparse desert, it makes the process of meeting a partner quite difficult.

Krookodile have found an exceptional work around to the problem. Given their large size, with domestic Krookodile coming in at 5 feet long, head to rump, and wild Krookodile usually being double that, they have very deep voices. Pair that with their large lung capacity, and you have a call that is able to be transmitted for miles. It is just a bit unfortunate that the Krookodile’s mating call is a deep laughing kind of sound. The exact quality this laugh has varies by region. It is said that the tendency to have human villains laugh in movies originates from a playwright who often heard Krookodiles laugh at night growing up.”

The Krookodile turns itself around in it’s burrow, so that it faces the depths...and the camera. It moves forward languidly, slowly bypassing the camera until only the back half of the Pokémon is visible. Suddenly debris is flung by the forelimbs and is shoved towards the entrance again by the hindlegs. Some of the debris hits the camera, obscuring the bottom edge of the screen.

“The male Krookodile is in charge of preparing the nesting burrow, which are often located in the middle of deep sand dunes so as to prevent them from baking in the summer sun. The preparation of the nesting burrow is an important part of acquiring a mate. The female will pick her mate based on the quality of the nesting burrow. Should she find it not up to her standards, she will reject the male and continue her hunt elsewhere.”

The screen flashes from the burrowing male, who has buried the camera halfway already, to a different burrow. It is clear that this new burrow is in another region, due to the difference in sand colour, the sand of this burrow is a deep red. The camera slowly moves through the burrow, noticeably abandoned due to the slowly decaying walls and the unkept appearance of the floor. Bones are imbedded in the walls, femurs, spikes, skulls and more of common Pokémon are clearly visible. The entrance to the nesting site in the back has a mounted skull of a Kangaskhan, with the incubation chamber decorated by a plethora of unusually hued Marowak skulls. The screen zooms into the eye sockets of one of the Marowaks and slowly fades to black.

“Krookodiles will often decorate their burrows with the bones of their most impressive kills. Dragon Type Pokémon bones are amongst the most prized amongst Krookodiles, though bones of exotic and unusual Pokémon suffice as well. Some Krookodiles have a process in which they dye the skulls a different colour, though this process has not yet been captured on film.  
___________________________  
Black: They never allow prey to escape. Their jaws are so powerful, they can crush the body of an automobile.  
Shield: While terribly aggressive, Krookodile also has the patience to stay hidden under sand for days, lying in wait for prey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This snippet was inspired by a friend, SmugRaptor, while we were watching Night on Earth. They had a segment on a desert gecko that attracts it's mate from it's burrow by making a barking noise. He remarked that the gecko sounded more like a cartoon character laughing and well, my mind made a crazy jump. Haha.
> 
> Just letting you guys know now, that Krookodiles in this work have different laughs based on the region they live in. Some will sound like Ledger's Joker, other will sound like Bowser, others will sound like....well you get the idea. Feel free to imagine what kind of laugh you’d like them to have yourself.


	2. Chatot 1: Adaptation in Adversity

The scene opens to rolling meadows, green grasses as far as the eye can see. Trees tower over the landscape on the far edges as the camera flies over softly swaying fields, before fading to the next scene. The camera pans out to show a field of wildflowers, with trees bordering the far side and a hollow log that resides on this border. Within the log, which is being zoomed in on, is a neatly organized nest right in the middle of the fallen log. The camera zooms in on the nest to reveal a head shaped like a musical note. Suddenly the beak of the Pokémon opens and belts out a sentence before going into the opening lyrics of a song.

“This is Chatot, a Pokémon renown for it’s ability to replicate any sound that it has heard, natural or not. Commonly seen in the Pokémon trade for use as a companion Pokémon, Chatot come in many colour variation. The wild type colour variation is black in head, crest, and tail; with blue wings, a green breast, pink beak, a yellow pectoral area, as well as a white mane of feathers on the back of it’s neck.

Anyone who knows something about Chatot knows that domestic Chatot have a tendency to replicate the sounds around them constantly. This has been found to be a quirk of domestic life, something akin to a human twiddling their thumbs in boredom. Some owners of Chatot find this amusing and play songs for their Chatot to sing along to while they are gone in hopes of hearing the Pokémon sing for them upon their return. Others find this habit annoying and try to entertain the Chatot with mind games so as to keep their Chatot preoccupied and focused on something other than communication. Both methods are acceptable ways of engaging a highly intelligent Pokémon such as Chatot in captivity, though employing both is always advised. In the wild, where silence can be key for survival, this quirk is often replaced by others. These habits can be as wide and varied as the habitats that Chatot lives in. Some engage in seed spitting, others in wood-whittling, and others still in nest rearranging.”

The Chatot pecks at something in a hollow of the interior wall of the log, grinds it’s beak, before hopping out of the log and spitting the object into the bush. The camera zooms in to capture an image of a hollowed out seed casing. The Chatot hops back into the log, tries to get another seed but finds it has run out. Disgruntled, it lets out a series of random noises that range from a car honking, to the snapping of a camera, to the revving of a chainsaw.

“Of course, just because it prefers the spitting of seeds to vocalizing as a distraction from idleness, doesn’t mean that it doesn’t curse when it can no longer distract itself. You may have noticed that Chatot is nesting on the ground, in a hidden place, rather than in the trees like most avian Pokémon. This is due to the fierce competition that is faced in the ecosystem that Chatot originate from; where Wingull and Pelliper constantly patrol to prevent any avian Pokémon from predating on their preferred nesting sites and a multitude of electric type Pokémon, such as Magneton, Luxio, and Electabuzz claim territory. Hiding your nest tucked away and out of sight makes a lot more sense than airing out your home for all to see in such an environment.”

The Chatot gives out a modulated Electabuzz call, still low and deep but with a warble at the end. A Magneton hum with a chirrup at the end responds and a second Chatot flies down to the hollow. The newcomer hands over a large, bright green berry, the size of the Pokémon’s head, and begins to peel it off the hard rind. The interior of the berry is a pale yellow, that both Pokémon eagerly dine into. As the camera zooms in on the dinner, the camera catches sight of a pair of rings on the Pokémons’ feet, one ring on each Pokémon.

“The Chatot’s mate has brought back a Wacan berry for the both of them to share. Wacan berries provide some protection from electric attacks so they are especially prized by avian Pokémon such as Chatot. Chatot are a pair bonding species, meaning they mate for life. This particular pair have raised 3 clutches of Chatot that continue to thrive on Route 222, dispute the hazards of being an avian Pokemon living in an ecosystem dominated by electric types.”

After the meal is done, the Chatot’s partner preens the white mane of feathers on his mate. She croons at him and they enjoy a few quiet moments. They rub beaks against each other, before he takes off, searching for the next meal. The female Chatot hops over to the log and removes a large slab of stone with her beak, revealing a tunnel underneath. She raises her talons and rasps on the log three times, then waits. Quietly, her hatchlings come up from the safety of the underground nest. None of the hatchlings have their adult colours yet, looking like great white balls of fluff. The mother Chatot clicks her beak at her hatchlings and they all line up, the smallest at the front. Thus, the mother bird begins to feed her brood.

The screen splits to show another mother Chatot with her brood, this new scene taking place on a sandy beach with the Chatot having nested in the hollow of a pine tree feeding a fish mash to her hatchlings. The difference between the two environments is obvious, with the greens of the meadow contrasting the browns, whites, and blues of the tree nesting Chatot on the beach.

“This Chatot pair has been part of a Sinnohian study on how avian Pokémon survive in an ecosystem that is so dangerous for them. One of the most important findings of this study has been the variety of ways in which Chatot raise their young in hostile environments. In Sinnoh alone, Chatot have been noticed to have different child raising methods depending on the predatory Pokémon of the immediate environment, let alone the ecosystem. The methods a Chatot uses on Route 222, as this pair does, will differ greatly from the methods another pair might use on Route 213.”  
___________________________  
Diamond: It can learn and speak human words. If they gather, they all learn the same saying.  
HeartGold: It mimics the cries of other Pokémon to trick them into thinking it's one of them. This way they won't attack it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I am pretty sure that most of the people reading this will already know the inspiration behind this snippet. If you guessed the Lyrebird, as shown by David Attenborough, then you would be correct. However, the snippet kinda took a life of it's own as I thought about how many different parrots there are and the many different ways in which they live and survive, especially as I took a look at the different 'ecosystems' that Chatot is supposed to survive in. I mean, just take a look for yourself. It lives on the beach with grass and water types, it lives in a meadow by the sea with predatory electric types all over, it lives in the woods with a lot of competition with other avian Pokémon. It is thriving all over the place. It might not be that competitive on the battling scene, but it sure is on the survival one.


	3. Wooloo Line 1: Basic Uses and Advantages of the Wooloo Line

The camera pans over an open field, a thread of fencing is only just visible on the horizon. White clouds group up in small gatherings across the grassy fields, some of the clouds possessing dark patterns upon them. The camera slowly zooms in on one of these gatherings, bringing the clouds into focus as ovine forms.

“From a distance, one might think these Pokémon are Mareep or Flaaffy, rightfully so due to their close relationship to such Pokémon. However the dark colouration on these Pokémon clues into their true identity, Domestic Wooloo and Dubwool. These Pokémon lack the electrical nature of their Johtoan cousins, instead possessing a neutral, or normal, nature. These Pokémon are descendants of a vulnerable variant of Wooloo and Dubwool that exists in the mountains and alpine meadows of the wild regions to the east of the Galarian island chain.”

The screen divides into two scenes, a zoom in on a close-up of a mother Dubwool and her Wooloo offspring appears in both scenes however the Pokémon in both display varying physical traits. The mother, child duo on the left shows the mother as having a short pair of horns, dull in appearance, and an unusual amount of wool hanging off her frame. Her offspring, likewise, has an unusual amount of wool, dreadlocks hanging down to her fetlocks. The wool around their legs has browned from dirt flung up by their hooves, the brown crawling up their bodies until only the wool on their backs is untouched. The Wooloo is engaging in play with their mother, playfully tearing up before butting it’s head into the wool of its mother, sinking in almost to the point of submergence.

The mother, child duo on the right, on the other hand, have much less wool weighing them down, and only the mother has wool around their legs. Even then, that wool is loose to the point of hanging on by threads to the rest of their bodies at the lowest points. The Dubwool mother also has longer horns that detonate in sharp points, and a more lithe appearance in general. The Wooloo child has only the barest amount of wool, and is prancing about, chasing a speck of dust on the wind.

“Domestic Wooloo and Dubwool have two different common abilities that the battle community call Run Away and Fluffy. Run Away is a trait valued by rangers and explorers alike. Fluffy, on the other hand, is a trait prized by both farmer and battler communities.”

The screen flashes to a lean Dubwool with a hammock backpack on its side. A Rescue Ranger, dressed in mountain rescue gear, finishes ‘dressing’ a volunteer during a practice rescue exercise, all the while the narrator continues, “Run Away is a genetic trait that ties the Pokémon to the memories of its ancestors momentarily, providing insight into past scenarios that match the situation of the specific individual and maps out the best escape route available to them. Rangers value Pokémon with this trait for their ability to assist in rescue operations in remote terrain, as well as the incredible investment that intergenerational training allows.” The Ranger helps the volunteer into the Dubwool’s hammock, gently securing the hammock so that the volunteer cannot fall out. A quick signal from the Ranger that the volunteer is secure and the Dubwool is off, camera rotating around just in time to show the Pokémon jump off a cliff. Immediately, the scene changes to show the top of a sheer cliff-face, with Dubwool steadily climbing downwards. The Pokémon deftly charges down sheer rock walls, finding purchase where logic says there should be nothing but a quick fall into oblivion, as the narrator adds in a nonchalant manner, “The oldest ranger flicks of Wooloo and Dubwool have been in existence for hundreds of generations with the current generation of Dubwool serving being able to serve effectively in every kind of terrain the wild regions can provide.”

At one point, towards the bottom of the cliff, a boulder shudders and reveals itself to be an Onix. The narrator chooses this point to add some more commentary, “Explorers, on the other hand, value Pokémon with this ability for their prized ability to navigate any kind of terrain and efficiently get away from any threat that shows its head, both of which can make or break an explorer in the wild regions.” The camera zooms in as the Dubwool circles around to face the rock snake sideways, hammock facing away from the threat. Dubwool snorts and waits until the Onix launches itself in an Avalanche at it. Immediately Dubwool flies up the cliff face, dancing away from the flailing rock snake as it slams into the cliff and embeds itself in the mountainside. By the time Onix has freed itself, Dubwool is long gone.

As the narrator finishes, another scene plays out. A large meadow of Wooloo and Dubwool graze in the open, Murkrow being seen chased by a Yamper off in the distance, though it’s playful antics are cut out by the zooming in of the camera as it focuses on the herd.

“Fluffy is an ability that stems from the massive amount of wool that this subgroup of Pokémon possess,” the narrator begins, as a large shadow passes through the scene, though the ovine Pokémon pay it no mind. Suddenly, a large Honchkrow, slams into a mother Dubwool. The camera zooming in as this happens. The Dubwool’s face takes up the screen momentarily as it fully blinks, perfectly calm, as it is flipped onto its side. “This wool is different from the wool of other ovine Pokémon in that it has diffusive properties that help protect the Pokémon from physical attacks,” The Honchkrow turns its head from the temporarily disabled Pokémon to its intended target, the Wooloo that was hidden under its wool. Honchkrow quickly grabs it, panicking the Dubwool as it begins flailing to get back up, and begins taking off. Before it can get more than three feet in the air with its prey, a pale brown blur covering in sparking electricity slams into it. The Honchkrow squalls in pain, dropping the Wooloo, and uses a Quick Attack to get out of dodge, it’s mob of Murkrow not far behind.

Yamper snarls at the fading birds before, smiling as it turns to the farmer, running in from offscreen. The farmer scans the skies as his hand massages the dog’s head in reward. The pup enjoys the moment, knowing his favoured reward of a Ducklett nugget is in it’s future as a dessert. The farmer, having pulled out a pair of binoculars, noticed something in the far distance and whistles a command. Yamper barks an affirmative and sets his teeth alight.

“As with all good things, there is a trade off. In this case, Wooloo and Dubwool with the Fluffy ability are more vulnerable to fire elemental attacks as well as to overheating due to the abundance of wool they produce.” As the narrator explains the Fluffy ability’s downsides, Yamper can be seen corralling the ovine Pokémon across the meadow to a distant barn. The barn is coated in reinforced electrical wiring, to keep our predatory birds that roam the grasslands. “Farmers,” the narrator continues, “make use of this weakness by having their partner Pokémon demonstrate a fire type move, such as Fire Fang, to help encourage the herd of ovine Pokémon in the direction the farmer wants them to go.” The farmer opens the gate to the barn, as Yamper keeps the any of herd from wandering off. Once the door opens, the herd marches in, leaving none behind after a few minutes have passed. Content that his herd is safely put away for the evening, the farmer calls for Yamper to follow him as the sky behind them darkens, and a large shadow passes through the sunset.  
___________________________  
Shield: If its fleece grows too long, Wooloo won't be able to move. Cloth made with the wool of this Pokémon is surprisingly strong.  
Sword: Its curly fleece is such an effective cushion that this Pokémon could fall off a cliff and stand right back up at the bottom, unharmed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: No particular documentary inspired me to do this one, I rolled the Pokémon Random Generator and this was the ‘mon that I had the most inspiration for writing for among the bunch. I decided I’d trying mixing narration and action scenes together a bit for this piece. I’m kind of using this project to experiment with my writing skills and improve on them. Hope you enjoyed the difference here from the prior works.


	4. Probopass 1: Adaptation to Humanity

A battle rages between a blue bipedal amphibian and a purple skunk on a flat, dusty plain. The skunk launches a caustic stream of purple fluids that the frog deflects with a gleaming green barrier of energy summoned by a wave of a white, tridactyl hand. Pushing forward against the stream with the glowing barrier, the amphibian narrows bulging eyes from atop it’s head as it attempts to close the distance between itself and it’s opponent. 

The mephitidae strains itself for a moment longer to maintain the Venoshock, before lunging into a dodge as it stopped for a breath. The tail of the skunk briefly twirled in the space that it had just moments before occupied, as a flurry of fists dynamically struck out at that same location. The fluff of the tail was blown back by the air pressure of the strikes, revealing to the puncher the disappearance of their target. The blue amphibian leaps back to get some space, just avoiding a sucker punch in the process. Both Pokémon pause and evaluate the other as they figure out their next move; the tells of deep thought obvious in the frog through the finger tracing a path along the whirl on it’s white stomach. It is likewise with the skunk as it slowly undulates it’s tail in thought.

Distant mumbling can be understood to be an announcer notating current events in the battle to the audience. Both Pokémon are heavily panting, having been pushed to their limits throughout the course of the tournament. This is the final round of this match, and the winner takes all. The Poliwrath’s trainer shouts encouragement as the Skuntank’s trainer does the same. Both Pokémon have just enough energy to give their all in one last attack, and the crowd clearly recognizes it as a sea of excited exclamations washes over the battle. 

Both Pokémon can tell that the battle is almost over and decide to give it their all with one last shot. The frog launches forward, dragging a hand in the ground as it prepares an Earth Power to finish it’s opponent. At the same time, the skunk zigs and zags in an evasive pattern as it laces ominous dark type energy down it’s claws for a Night Slash. The Poliwrath skids into a turning dive, launching a tidal wave of Earth Power across the battlefield. The crowd falls silent as the skunk becomes obscured from view for an eternal moment. Then, miraculously, the skunk flies over the wave of earth and mud and dives onto the frog, knocking it out with a quick slash of it’s claws.

“The Pokémon that one sees taking part in a League tournament is more likely than not to be a Domestic variant of their species, demonstrating the virtues of whichever species are battling one another,” the screen has moved along with the tournament, showing the two trainers shaking hands for their good showing, both of the final battling Pokémon alongside them. Both Pokémon are obviously alert, but quite obvious in demonstrating to the crowd that they have no hard feelings over the match, “If not a Domestic, then you might have happened upon one of the less commonly held Feral tournaments. However, you will never see a trainer using Wild type variants of any Pokemon species due to the dangers these Pokémon pose. 

“Now, if you are new to Pokemon training, then these terms will confuse you. The average Pokémon that anyone can meet on the streets is more likely than not going to be a Domestic variant Pokémon. These are Pokémon that have lived all their lives surrounded by humans, thus understanding what humans will and not tolerate. Often, they have adapted to life amongst humans through physical means,” the screen changes from the award ceremonies of a League tournament of the past to a more mundane scene of a Probopass slowly hovering through a coastal town square. The Probopass is modestly sized, about as large as an average teenager, and curiously has some colourful strings tangled into it’s moustache. From one of it’s manipulators hangs a basket, with some form of bottle inside. The female Probopass, if the pink and purple strings and ribbons are to judge, slowly begins the journey from the center of town back to it’s colony on the beach, “Sometimes, this will mean that a certain species has grown greatly in size due to an abundance of resources. Other times, this means shrinking down their biomass as a result of lessened competition for resources and to further extend their ability to make use of those resources. 

“Domestic Pokémon have changed their societies to match with human civilization. They are more cooperative with other species, and are open to reaching out to humans for aid should the need arise,” in a brief fast forward sequence, the Probopass from before has rejoined it’s colony and is sharing the contents of the basket with others in it’s group. A quick zoom in on one bottle as it is given over to a Probopass shows it is a healing potion. The bottles are provided to a few Probopass and Nosepass who either apply it to their own wounds or to the wounds of close family. As this occurs, a small squad of Nosepass trickle down from the road to the landfill, with sacks of berries and some car parts. “Oftentimes, predation by carnivorous species is lowered by the presence of berry trees that humanity allows to flourish along their pathways and in their towns and cities, as well as the refuse that they leave behind.” 

“Wild variant Pokémon, on the other hand, are Pokémon that have not encountered humanity or who prefer to be as far away from humanity as they can be. The culture of these Pokémon from their Domestic counterparts can be quite different,” the screen splits to depict a separate colony of Probopass and Nosepass. Whereas the Probopass of the beach colony all possess strings and ribbons of various colours, the other colony of Probopass shown all possess a certain shine in their facial hair. The reason for this shine is quickly revealed as one Probopass shaves down some metal ore into dust and massages it into their facial hair. As the Probopass are all shown relaxing, in the distance one can see Nosepass slowly lumbering in and out of a cave system with metal ores. One Probopass hovers in from overhead, a dead Ambipom hanging from one of it's Mini-Noses.

“Wild variant Pokémon will vary in size according to the availability of the resources they require. Most aquatic and semi-aquatic Wild variants are quite a bit larger than their Domestic and Feral counterparts as a result of this. On the other hand, surface dwelling ferrovores tend towards being smaller in size to the lessened amount of metal for them to consume in the Wild Regions.” As the narrator explains this, one can see the size difference between the Domestic and Wild Probopass, with the Domestics reaching the size of a smaller adult human and the Wilds not being any taller than their lithovorous pre-evolutions. “Wild variant Pokémon will not understand the fragility of humanity, and so will treat humans as if they were any other Pokémon. Furthermore, the more carnivorous species will see humans as prey.”

“Finally, we reach the Feral variants. Feral variants are Pokémon that live on the edge of the human inhabited regions,” the split screen fades to reveal a couple sitting by a campfire, the Milky Way shining bright overhead. A Raichu lazes about on a blanket that have been laid out for them, as a Furfrou watches the camera from beside the the couple. On a log across from the couple, a Sawk sits with their back to the camera. It’s gaze rests intently at the forest line. The camera zooms out in the direction the Sawk is watching, and catches the glint of eyes in fire light, “receiving infusions of genetics from both Domestic and Wild variant Pokémon. They often have some understanding of human civilization, but live far enough away from it to retain some of the Wild instincts and abilities that allow Pokémon to live in the most hostile environments in the world. As they receive genetics from both Domestic and Wild variant Pokémon, these variants can be anywhere between the two in size and temperment,” the eyes set themselves into a stony face, as a Feral Probopass sets just out from the forest boundary. It is the same size as a Nosepass, if not a little larger. It slowly begins to hover towards the clearing, making a call as it does so. In it’s arms it bears uncarved rock. “If one where to encounter a Feral in the wild, treat them cautiously as you would any Wild Pokémon and let them decide whether or not to engage in communications. Sometimes, these Pokémon decide to join human civilization but it must be by their own will. It is by this kind of trust, after all, that we got Domestic Pokémon in the first place.” As the Feral Probopass presents itself to the couple, one of the rocks falls to the ground and breaks open, revealing itself to be a geode with purple amethyst inside.

___________________________  
Moon: The main body controls three mobile units called Mini-Noses, which it maneuvers to catch prey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Just wanted to write a piece on how Pokémon adapt to humanity. My friend has already done a snippet on a Wild variant of Pokémon species, so I thought would help explain some things before I post it later on. 
> 
> We know that some people like the Pokédex stats while others think they are nonsensical. This is our way of trying to appease both groups. Some of the stats belong to Domestics, some to Ferals, and some to Wilds. Which is which, who knows. I rolled the Random Pokémon Generator for which Pokémon to focus this snippet on, and got Probopass. I also coin flipped to see who would win the tournament battle at the start of the snippet. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy.


	5. Walrein 1: Trial for Leadership

The screen depicts a human diagram beside a domestic Walrein with a scale measure on the left. The Walrein stands a head and a half under the human, at four feet tall and the adult human at six feet. A weight measurement is added, with the human at 150lbs and the Walrein at 530lbs, “There are not many differences visible to differentiate wild type Walrein from the more domestic of their kind that either live full time nearby human settlements or the ‘feral’ populations that migrate from the wild regions into the human regions annually,” the narrator begins, as a ‘feral’ Walrein is added to the scale. It matches the human in height and weighs in in at 1,000 lbs, with a foot note that states that height and weight will vary depending on the region the Walrein migrates from. Finally a wild type Walrein is added, showing itself to be head and shoulders over the human at 8 feet and weighing in at a colossal 2,000 lbs.

“The only real differentiating factor is size, with the wild types towering over either of their cousin types, and fat levels. Wild Walrein are adapted to pure arctic conditions, and as such have higher fat levels than the feral and domestic Walrein populations that live further south in more temperature conditions. Wild Walrein would struggle in the summer conditions of Hoenn, for example, whereas domestic and feral Walrein populations are able to endure the summer heat found there.”

The camera refocuses from the scale, to zero in on two enormous Walrein. Both Walrein are in good health, luxurious manes of white fur rustling in the wind as the opponents circle one another. The Pokemon are on a modest glacier not too far from shore, where a gathering of Spheal, Sealeo, and young Walrein watch. One Walrein, with a yellow and black tag in his ear, is visibly scarred. While being quite large, if one knew how to judge the size of the creature they could see signs of it being seven feet tall. Their opponent is visibly larger by, at least, a full human hand. The black and yellow tagged one, alongside it's scars, looks back upon the pod of Spheal, Sealeo, and Walrein behind him as if to reassure himself, before setting his shoulders in preparation for the fight ahead. The red tagged Walrein is also gazing at the pod, with an all too human look of desire, before baring it's tusks in a challenge display.

“Here we can see two wild-type Walrein in the midst of a battle, to determine leadership of the pod you can see on the shoreline. As is expected in the wild regions of the world, Pokemon without any contact with humans have their own cultures and ways of life. In Walrein cultures, leadership is often determined by strength and then wisdom. If a leader is shown to not have the wisdom to lead, then the pod will turn against them and drive them out. Leadership can be challenged by outsiders, and as seen here, be determined by a duel.”

The camera gets a close up of one of the Walrein. It has a massive scar on it’s right pectoral and another on the back shoulder, in the shape of a half moon. Jagged indents can be made out along the scar, indicating it is likely a bite mark from some form of aquatic predator. “The one on the right,” the narrator introduces the first Walrein, “with the scar on the right chest and back sections as well as the yellow and black tag in his ear, is the leader of this pod of Pokemon. That yellow and black tag shows that this particular Walrein is part of a scientific study by the Professors of Johto.” The camera zooms even closer and the Walrein’s face takes up the entire screen, squinted eyes and furrowed brows depicting it as determined, “Many of the Spheal and Sealeo in the gathering on shore are either his offspring or brothers and sisters,” explains the narrator. “He has inherited this pod from his father, who can be seen amongst the pod on the shoreline. If he loses this fight, not only will he be exiled to the unforgiving sea but so will his coalition of supporters, primarily his father but also his brothers who have proven their strength, as well as his favoured mates. Any pups he has sired that are not independent by now will likely not survive the nomadic lifestyle of a pod without territory of their own. His legacy with this pod will end should he lose here, forcing him to start anew elsewhere.”

Shifting from one Walrein to the next, the first thing that jumps out is the dull red tag on its ear. “The one on the left, who can be identified by the red tag in his ear, is the challenger,” continues the narrator, “The red tag marks this individual as coming from afar, a subject of an Unovan study. Walrein are not known to differentiate in form on either the East or West hemispheres of the globe so this challenger, while a long way from home, is the same as any of the other Walrein in the pod, despite having travelled here from the other side of the globe. It’s flippers are pockmarked with old wounds, tiny portions of them are clearly missing, from fighting out at sea,” as the narrator points out this fact, the camera zooms in on the Walrein, showing the variety of wounds that this individual has endured, ranging from circular scars from parasitic fish to an enormous bite wound that encircles the individual’s neck.

“He has come to this pod in search of many things, though most important of all is the safety of a pod. There are very few predators that will try and face the might of an entire Walrein pod head on, especially when there is easier prey for the taking. It is both, much easier to go for the variety of roaming Pokemon in the seas, such as Barraskewdua or Remoraid, as well as safer. A lone Walrein, however, is tempting prey for the predators of these cold seas. It is clear that this is a fight not just for the land but for the right to safety itself for both participants, and neither individual wants to give up.”

The screen zooms out to allow for a good view of both Walrein as the fight begins. Both charge at full speed, colliding into one another with Body Slams. They shine into one another, trying to shove the other of the glacier. “As Walrein culture focuses on strength, the fight begins with a show of physical strength. In domestic pods, this can be done by colliding Rollouts, however the sheer mass of wild Walrein makes this unfeasible for all by Spheal pups. Once they have proven to one another as equals physically, they move to elemental attacks to test one another’s prowess in that field.”

Furrows have formed in the ice as no ground is made in the sumo contest between the two Pokémon. A sleek sheen forms on the Johtoan Walrein’s tusks, and the Unovan Walrein quickly follows suit. The pod leader opens his mouth wide and swipes the challenger across the chest with glass sharp Ice Fangs on his tusks, blood wicking them red as he comes away. The challenger takes aim for the shoulder and flicks his Ice Fangs and the resulting blood to his left. As this scenario repeats itself multiple times over, the narrator explains the reason for such bloodshed, “In official Pokémon matches, there is a guide for how to attack for every attack. Safety is paramount, resulting in Pokemon matches being just as much a show of restraint on the part of the Pokémon as they are of strategy on the part of the trainer. In the wild regions, and especially amongst wild type Pokémon, battles are unregulated and survival takes precedence. Amongst their own kind is when battles such as this are at their most regulated, however. Rules for battle amongst Walrein seem to allow for surface level damage, but nothing that could impede the other’s ability to survive. The damage we are seeing done now is similar to what would be a series of paper cuts to a human.”

Both Walrein now have blood red tusks. Various paper thin gashes weep blood down their chests and backs. The manes of both Pokémon are ghoulish, going a light pink in the center and slowly reddening the closer to the edge of the mane, with their beards dripping red. The only real way to tell one from the other now are the tags on their ears.

The challenger snorts, clearly unsatisfied with the demonstrations thus far. Whipping his head about, slapping his bloodied mats of fur against himself in a gory display, summons a Blizzard. The very edges of the glacier expand a few inches, before breaking off with the waves, as the Blizzard force-freezes saline water. The pod leader peers at his opponent, and whips up a Blizzard of his own. The two Blizzards meet and force up a storm of snow and cold that freezes the blood and wounds of the two solid.

The two Walrein watch one another, unmoving as their goried manes freeze solid in a macabre display of their contest thus far. Frost gathers on eyelashes, as they squint to keep watch until the Blizzards stall one another out. The pod leader furrows its brows in concentration as it begins the last dirge of the fight.

“In Pokémon Leagues, the use of Sheer Cold is a heavily regulated move,” expounds the narrator, as the challenging Walrein looks befuddled for a moment before noticing the glacier is beginning to rapidly expand in size as saline water is flash frozen. His eyes widen before he too focuses on summoning forth a Sheer Cold if his own, as the narrator continues on, “The absolute pinnacle of Ice Type moves, in official matches it knocks out the opponent in a single moment. The reason for this is twofold. First, the vast majority of domestic Pokémon are not adapted for subzero conditions. The second, League policies state that Sheer Cold use must have a time duration of 10 seconds. Any longer than that, and complications may occur in the vast majority of domestic Pokémon and humans. In wild regions, as has been stated, there are no regulations.” The glacier expands exponentially as the narrator spells out the reasoning behind certain rules of the League system. The glacier reaches forth tens of feet, and from the way it’s holding together this expansion goes into the glacier’s depth as well. The air around the glacier clears as the temperature difference pushes away all debris, allowing for a clear view of the match.

Both Pokémon are glaring at the other, challenging the opponent to quit. The pod leader takes a deep inhalation and holds his breath and the challenger follows suit, almost too late, as the air oxygen around them solidifies as a liquid briefly before turning into a solid. The massive glacier both Pokémon find themselves in is clear from the original glacier up.

“Should Walrein use Sheer Cold on any other Pokémon to these levels, that Pokémon would likely have frozen solid and died. This is the best defence that this Pokémon species has against predators, and because of the sheer power and skill it takes to suck all the warmth out of an area not many are capable of it to this degree. However, just because it is an extremely powerful move, offensively and defensively, does not make it a perfect solution. Not only would the levels of Sheer Cold on display here would kill any Spheal, Sealeo, and any unprepared Walrein exposed to it directly. The reason that Walrein can endure these absurd levels of cold are, at least in part, due to their Thick Fat ability. While a basic description of it is that the thick fat these Pokémon have allows for endurance of Fire and Ice type moves, the actual explanation for Walrein is that they can completely divert blood flow from the fat layers, creating an insulating barrier between them and the extreme temperature facing them. This is further expanded upon during these Sheer Cold bouts by their ability to expand their chest cavity with air, creating further insulation once inside the glacier as they exhale it and create a bit of air space within the glacier. As Walrein are semi-aquatic Pokémon they get the majority of their prey from the seas, meaning they are specially adapted to endure long periods of time holding their breath. This specific point of the match lasted over 3 full hours before one of the Pokémon gave up. Let’s fast forward to that point in time, shall we?”

The screen blips momentarily, before showing the two Pokémon in their glacier, the only sign of time’s passage being the movement of the clouds in the background. The clear glacier begins to crumble and evaporate as warmth returns to the area immediately around the duo. The Unovan Walrein stumbles before desperately panting for breath. The Johtoan Walrein, on the other side, sighs before taking a deep breath and shaking off the frost and crumbling ice. Turning towards his pod, he whips his mane about, shaking off the blood residue before roaring aloud his victory.

Turning toward his opponent, the pod leader comes up to the Unovan Walrein slowly. He raises a flipper and gives his opponent a couple pats on the back. The Unovan Pokémon glances up at his opponent as a silent moment passes between the two. The winner gives a respectful nod and a slow blink as the loser finishes his panting. Sighing, small tears in his eyes, the Unovan Walrein lifts his head and cleaves the now mammoth glacier in two, setting their portion adrift.

The pod leader hops the small gap between the glacier and moves to rejoin his pod. A fifty feet later, he pauses and calculates something for a moment. He turns to the Unovan Pokémon and rumbles something. The Unovan Pokémon freezes, before grumbling a question. An affirmative answer from the winner and the Unovan Walrein slowly slips into the ocean and swims to shore, the Johtoan Walrein joining him as he makes his way to join his new family.

“It was once thought that fights between wild Walrein during challenges for leadership always meant exile for the loser. The loser would be left on a glacier that usually results from the and set adrift on the ocean, left to look for another pod to challenge or to try and start a new pod on their own. If the challenger impressed anyone from the pod they challenged they may go with them, which is how new pods usually start.

In recent years, evidence has come forth that should the loser prove themselves worthy enough to the pod leader, they may join the pod in a lower position of the hierarchy. Oftentimes, these challengers will quickly rise in the ranks and become one of the pod leader’s main supporters. This is the first time such an event has been caught on film.”  
___________________________  
Ruby: Walrein's two massively developed tusks can totally shatter blocks of ice weighing ten tons with one blow. This Pokémon's thick coat of blubber insulates it from subzero temperatures.  
Sapphire: Walrein swims all over in frigid seawater while crushing icebergs with its grand, imposing tusks. Its thick layer of blubber makes enemy attacks bounce off harmlessly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This snippet was inspired by the various videos that document pinniped fighting one another on beaches, especially elephant seals. I watched a variety of different videos of such fights using YouTube as well as different documentaries such as Seven Worlds, One Planet.


	6. Support Pokémon 1: Herdier for the Blind

The camera starts following a young child playing on a sidewalk, a Herdier in a harness walking alongside. The child is laughing, one arms outstretched, the other clutching onto the harness, as they skip down the pathway. As this happens, cars pass in-between the child and the camera demonstrating the roadway that the child is running beside. Occasionally the Herdier redirects the child to be more centred on the sidewalk so as to prevent their charge from getting to close to the road. The harness the Herdier is wearing has writing on it, 'Guide Pokemon for the Blind' overtop of an emblem depicting a Pokéball.

As the above scene occurs, the narrator begins, “Disabilities come in as many various forms as Pokémon do. And for as many disabilities there are, there are just as many kinds of Support Pokémon. This series will be going over The species of Pokémon that get chosen for their roles as a Support can be surprising to those the unaware; sometimes due to the appearance of a particular species, sometimes due to the reputation of a particular species, and for many other reasons besides.”

The scene switches from one camera to another, so that the child is now seen face on instead of from the side. This change in angle reveals that the child is heading towards a active road, with vehicles zooming by. The child is demonstrating no fear, despite being blind. They have implicit trust in their partner to guide and protect them should it become become necessary. The Herdier, meanwhile, is maintaining pace with their charge. The change in perspective reveals the child's parents twenty feet behind in heavy conversation with one another as they follow their child.

“It is obvious to most people that Pokémon change the way that we live. It is most obvious of all to those that depend on those Pokémon in their daily lives. ~ Professor Oak. A famous quote by far by one of the most renown Pokémon Professors in the world.”

The camera has zoomed back out, revealing that the child is now five feet from the curb is shows no sign of stopping. The Herdier gazes upwards and takes in the child’s face intently. The camera catches the dog’s brows furrow in thought as a decision is made.

“When this quote gets brought up, it is usually thought to be in regard to a Pokémon Trainer or Ranger. Someone who is out in the wilds, depending on their Pokémon partner for protection. However, this quote was first stated when Professor Oak was presenting for Guide Pokémon for the Blind.”

The Herdier stops, jolting the child mid-skip. The child pouts and opens their mouth to argue with their friend. Just as they do, a truck whistles by in-between them and the camera. After the truck has passed, one can see that the child’s face has paled a shade or two. The Herdier wears a smug expression on it’s face, as the child kneels down and gives the Herdier some affection. The parents of the child also reach the duo and give the dog some pats on the head.

“The ways in which we are utilizing Pokémon in our lives is constantly changing, growing. In this series; we hope to show you the many ways in which we have used Pokémon in the past and in the present, as well as how we hope to make use of them in the future.“  
___________________________  
Pokemon Sword: Herdier is a very smart and friendly Pokémon. So much so that there's a theory that Herdier was the first Pokémon to partner with people.  
___________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry I have been away for so long. Things got kind of busy the last couple of months, busy season at work. I was also in a bit of a writer's block which made it hard to get any inpsiration to do any writing on this. One of my New Year's Resolutions for this year is work on my writing, so I am aiming for at least one writing project a week. I don't mind if anyone pesters me to write something if I haven't for that week (especially if they have an idea to provide some inspiration).
> 
> I actually came up with some ideas for a series on how Pokemon might be used in various positions in the PokéWorld as support animals. The inspiration for this particular snippet came from watching 'Pick of the Litter' on Netflix. Hope you all enjoyed.


	7. Support Pokémon 2: Bannette Psychiatric Support

The scene starts within the confines of an apartment bedroom. Beige walls are lit by two windows, one window over the head of the bed and the other just past the foot of the bed. The bed itself is in the far most corner of the room from the camera, with the entrance not within view. By the foot of the bed sits a large plush Miltank, accompanied by a small plush Archen perched on the nearby windowsill.

“A unique subset of Support Pokémon is the Psychiatric Support Pokémon. These Pokémon provide support for those with ‘invisible’ disabilities, such as PTSD, schizophrenia, and depression. The manner in which these Pokémon provide this support varies, both by species of Pokémon.”

On the left side of the bed is a cabinet, a doll sat atop it. The doll is ragged, well worn by age and by love in such a way that it’s fabric has dulled to an off-grey. It’s form is bipedal, stubby arms and legs poking out from the main body. A golden zipper smile stitched underneath ruby red eyes that wink at the camera before turning to watch over the sleeping girl in the bed as a star bobbles behind their head.

“Usually,” the narrator begins, “when one thinks of a Support Pokémon they think of Seeing Eye Pokémon, such as Herdier or a Bibarel. However, amongst Psychiatric Support Pokémon, more esoteric species are more commonly employed. Sometimes, this is due to certain species having greater abilities for supporting someone with a mental disorder. Other times, it might be due to certain species having better affinity for certain tasks that may be required of them.”

The doll turns it’s head to the clock on the far side of the room, beyond view of the camera. Leaning itself so it tumbles off the dresser into a glide across the room, the ghost type Pokémon circles the room a few times in a moment of peaceful relaxation. Uncannily, it hovers in the centre of the room before it moves to a drawer beside the cabinet and grabs a bottle of medication and a blue vest. As the ghost type shrugs on the vest, pocketing the medication, it turns its back to the camera, revealing a Pokéball symbol in the centre of the back that has the top half of the Pokéball coloured in such a way as to represent a brain.

“Psychic and Ghost types are the preferred Pokémon for the role of a Psychiatric Support Pokémon due to their ability to assess the mental state of a human with greater ease and accuracy than other Pokémon species,” the narrator explains, as the doll moves to wake their partner, “In this instance, Sayori has been assigned a Banette as their Support Pokémon. This Banette, Doki, has been trained throughout her time as a Shuppet on how to be a Support Pokémon and gone through vigorous training in order to graduate into their current position.”

The scene transitions from Sayori waking up and beginning to get ready for the day to a stage with a Shuppet, wearing a red lace necklace with a grey stone attached, hovering beside a Professor. The Professor can be heard mutely going over how hard Doki has trained in order to become a Support Pokémon before introducing her partner-to-be; a slightly younger, probably sixteen or seventeen, Sayori comes out from behind the curtain. Sayori is holding a worn plushie Spinda, and is hugging it close with a yawn.

“Sayori,” the Professor announces, as he waves a hand around the girl, “has had some problems with Major Depression. She put forward an application for a Support Pokémon from our organization at the suggestion of one of her friend’s from school. Now Sayori,” the Professor warmly shares to the young girl, “Doki here, has been trained to be a special friend for you. You have met with one another throughout her training period and know one another quite well, right?”

Sayori nods to the question, to which the Professor chuckles before continuing, “Doki officially graduated from his training earlier this week and is ready to be a Support Pokémon. Would you be willing to take her on and take care of her everyday? As a Ghost type, she has special needs that you will need to take care of. You remember what those needs are?” Sayori gives her agreement and confirms that she remembers the requirements that she will need to take care of for her new partner.

“Well then,” the Professor states, “would you do the pleasure of taking the everstone off Doki and giving her your toy to evolve with?” Sayori gives a loud YES, setting the room to buzz with laughter, as she leaps over to the hovering Ghost type and gently asks for permission to remove everstone lace off while presenting the Spinda toy to her. Once Doki gives a nod in acceptance, she begins to glow evolution white before merging with the plushie and causing it to glow as well. The scene ends with the newly evolved Banette hugging a crying teen as the unseen audience applauds the newly formed partnership.

The camera comes back to the present with the Banette rolling on it’s back in laughter midair as it watches a comedy routine while Sayori chuckles at a kitchen table and begins eating cereal. The Banette can be seen giving a quick glance as it enjoys her morning entertainment, reassuring herself that her charge is alright. After breakfast is done, Sayori provides her Banette with some calming incense to enjoy as she finishes preparing for the school day. The Banette sits on the table with the calming incense in a seiza position, as if performing a tea ceremony.

“The science behind incense and Ghost types is a softer science in comparison to the hard science of nutrition and biological Pokémon. What is known is that incense has an effect for Ghost types similar to a nutritious diet for biological Pokémon, as well as a calming effect similar to the consumption of tryptophan in humans. Regular intake of incense is a common means of feeding Ghost types, though they do require further supplements of similar esoteric natures. Such feedings include but are not limited to the following,” explains the narrator, “emotional stimulus, usually fear or anger, of sapient beings, biological viscera, ores, and basic elements. The food pyramid for Ghost types will vary depending on the specific species of Ghost type, as each species has a highly varied natural diet in comparison to one another. This allows them to more naturally cohabit with one another in the limited ranges that they exist in.

Doki, having noticed her partner about to leave, floats over to her partner and taps her on the shoulder as if to remind her of something. Sayori has a moment of confusion before remembering and blows out the incense. As she does this, Doki double checks her bag to ensure she has everything for school before they head out together. The camera follows the pair up to the door, where it stays to observe the pair meet up with a brunette boy before heading off to school. Faintly Sayori can be heard greeting the boy, apparently named MC.

To Be Continued  
___________________________  
Pokemon X: A doll that became a Pokémon over its grudge from being junked. It seeks the child that disowned it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I got on a Doki Doki Literature Club binge recently and was inspired to write a happier end for the girls there. I think this is probably one of the weirdest crosses I have ever come up with probably. Then again, that’s not that hard to believe since I don’t write nearly as much as I used to.
> 
> As you might have guessed from the number I I have been doing on the titles, I may come back to certain Pokémon when the inspiration strikes me. This is the first snippet I have written in this series I actually have plans to come back to and continuing at some point so I have also labelled the second portion with a number as well.
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this. Write for you all soon.


	8. Beartic 1: Bears at Sea

### “Beartic are a nomadic species of the far north. They are rarely found all year round in regions that humans have settled into, due to the divergent needs of both species. This has resulted in a Pokémon species that hasn’t really changed due to interactions with humanity,” as the narrator speaks, a Beartic can be seen laying in wait on an iceberg. Not much can be seen of the bear, with the camera zoomed in on its face. The ice beard of the bear can be seen slowly trickling water as it melts in warm air. As the camera begins to zoom out from a close-up shot of the ursine’s intense focus on the water’s surface, the casual observer can see that there is no land anywhere within sight, “A full grown Beartic can reach incredible size, standing between eight and ten feet in a bipedal stance. A full grown male, the larger of the two genders, will weigh in at twelve hundred pounds, or four hundred and fifty kilos.”  
  
The waves of the open water around the large iceberg reveal that the Beartic is out at sea. With the camera zooming out, one can make out more details about the Beatic. The bear is much thinner than it is depicted in League battles, revealing that it has been going through a time of famine. “Our world goes through an annual period of warming and cooling due to the tilt upon which our planet rests. All ice types make their niche within the confines of the colder climes. As such, those species that are solely devoted to the ice typing, such as Beartic, deal with greater energy usage during the warmer times of the year. In Unova, this means that the maternal population of Beartic will spend the warmer parts of the year in hibernation in one of their hibernaculums deep within Twist Mountain or in dens hidden around the Dragonspiral Tower area. The cubchoos that have been had will slip in and out of hibernation, and partake of their mother’s milk when their fat reserves fall low. Of course, as all child Pokémon are want to do, these cubchoo can be seen exploring their home range as they digest and have the energy to do so before returning to hibernate.”  
  
“Of course, this leaves the male populace of Beartic to range out from these areas to help protect the cubchoo and to keep from waking angry mothers. As these male Beartic are exposed to the heat, they cool themselves by continuously expelling chilled air through use of their ice typed energy. Overtime, this eats at their fat reserves until they have none left. They use to handle this by migrating from one river estuary to the next and hunting as needed.”  
  
Splashing a few hundred yards out from the iceberg, a couple of smaller Beartic are swimming in the sea. As one dives deep into the water, the smallest of the triad is plowing through the waves chasing a Remoraid. The large male, can be seen to roll his eyes before returning his gaze back to the water’s surface.  
  
“In Unova, however, there lies the problem of human habitation having taken over the male Beartic’s former summer retreats. Ranger patrols, over the course of vigorous diplomatic discussions with the Beartic communities, have helped by introducing the Unovan Beartic populace to a ‘route’ that leads from their winter ranges out to the open sea after relocation and safe lodging options were largely turned down. Unovans and tourists from other regions come from all over to watch the march of the male Beartic as they swim down one of the rivers that splits the region, out past the Undella Bay barrier, and into the open sea.”  
  
“Beartic as a species are well equipped for hunting both on land and sea. Able to swim marathon worthy distances over the open ocean, and able to create their own platforms upon which to rest afterwards. Their white coat aids in camouflage amongst their preferred environment and with the ability to create hail, Beartic gains greater stealth abilities in such conditions. Strong physical features allow a quick dispatch on both land and sea, as well as the ability to inflict the frozen status to incapacitate their target. Beartic are, truly, intimidating ambush predators,” the camera catches sight of the iceberg rocking for a moment before one of the Beartics pops up and rubs his head, the narrator amends with a casual, “usually,” as the two young Beartic swim off into the distance. If a viewer had a quick eye, they could catch sight of the smallest bear having just finished swallowing a Remoraid as it swam off.  
  
As the sun begins to set, the two younger Beartic stop hunting and begin to lounge upon their backs as the old male continues intently staring down at the open water below it. Suddenly, the Beartic male lounges into the sea, startling the two sleepy youngsters. A flurry of bubbles blast the edge of the iceberg, before they go watery red and slow. The two young Beartic are now wide awake and making for the iceberg as form begins to come to the surface.  
  
A glass-eyed Lapras pokes its head out of the water, as the old Beartic keeps his jaws locked onto the spinal column attaching its head to the neck. A sluggish wake spreads as the ursine Pokémon manipulates the carcass over to the iceberg and drags it on. The youngster, eyeing the buffet, motor on over to join in the feast.  
  
“It surprises quite a few people that Beartic are able to compete with aquatic Pokémon on their turf. If forced to go after fully aquatic prey, Beartic usually target piscine prey which they can dispatch quickly and efficiently through cold shock. Beartic, however, prefer prey with more fat and blubber than what piscine Pokémon can provide. Near the shores, this primarily means taking pinniped prey as they surface for air or rest on the beaches. At sea, where pinniped Pokémon are at the advantage of speed and mobility, it means that Beartic must set up ambushes. This unfortunate Lapras must've gotten curious about the iceberg and so came in close to investigate. Sometimes, curiosity just doesn’t pay.” 

### Shield: It swims energetically through frigid seas. When it gets tired, it freezes the seawater with its breath so it can rest on the ice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This was inspired by the scene of a Polar Bear hunting and taking Belugas in Seven Worlds, One Planet. Was really crazy to consider that with how the planet is changing, some animals will figure out such crazy ways to survive. Sorry about the lack of more chapters this month. We thought I would have the time to write more out but UnderSeaWings got hit with a double dose of work that kind of knocked out my energy for writing. AnimalKrazed wasn't able to do much writing either due to having a surprising amount of homework this week. Anyways, AnimalKrazed and UnderSeaWings will be doing some additional writing later today and tomorrow so expect some more stuff out this weekend. See you all soon-ish. UnderSeaWings & AnimalKrazed


	9. Applin Line: Island Adaptation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where the Applin line comes from and why it is the way it is.

The scene starts with a panoramic view of a tropical island from a flying type’s perspective. The camera proceeds to zoom in a Blissey resting underneath a tree. The Blissey is on it’s side, head relaxed on a softened pile of dirt, one arm covering it’s egg with the other propped against it’s side. The only sounds audible are the cries of Windgull and Pelipper in the far distance.  
  
“This is the Isle of Armor, a remote area not too far south of Galar. More specifically, this portion of the region is known as the Stepping-Stone Seas. It is primarily home to numerous water types that swim through it’s waters. The small islands of this region are quite isolated from the rest of the Isle, instilling a sense of utopia. And like the paradise it so resembles, it is a relatively peaceful place...at least in this specific portion of the Isle. The dominant terrestrial predators of the region are the diminutive Flapple, who is predominantly omnivorous rather than being an obligate carnivore, and Pelipper, who prefers the scales of fish to the warm blood of the terrestrial Pokémon of the area.”  
  
“Still, even this is deceiving. The Stepping-Stone Seas are a recent feature in the Isle of Armor, having only come forth an estimated two thousand years ago. The lack of a volcanic shelf in the area and the composition of the isles themselves suggests that it came about as the result of a dispute between Groudon and Kyogre. Though we cannot say with any certainty, it is currently theorized that the Stepping-Stone Seas were an area where the two Legendary Pokémon settled their arguments at the time, far from any potential casualties. Afterwards, the area became home to Pokémon castaways, brought to the area by hurricanes and typhoons and fertilized by fertility of the seas.”  
  
The Blissey wakes lazily, stretching in a feline fashion, as it watches the sea. The scene swaps to a different camera momentarily to show the back of the Blissey’s head and demonstrate beach before it and the lapping waves beyond the sands, before switching back to the previous view of the Blissey as seen from the beach, “The berry trees of the area are especially fruitful. It is for this reason that the Flapple from other parts of the Isle of Armor come here to breed.” As the narrator mentions the Flapple, one passes overhead before landing on a branch, using the preserved apple half attached to it’s lower half to hang upside down on a portion that branches out before supping on a Persim Berry.  
  
“The entire Applin line is an interesting example of how life can adapt to the adverse conditions of such isolated islands. It is currently believed that the Applin line started when a small population of dragon or grass type Pokémon got stranded on one of the Stepping-Stone Sea isles. Genetics has been unable to identify exactly which Pokémon the Applin line came from, though the current theories suggest Treecko,” As the narrator exposits this information, a small clip plays. The clip demonstrates Applin thriving in the environment of the Stepping-Stone Isles, hanging from trees with it’s ‘eye-stalks,’ which intertwine to resemble a strong fruit stalk, as an Appletun scurries along the branch it hangs from. Moments after the Appletun passes, a Flapple flutters past, the camera following, as it snags an Oran berry from a nearby hanging branch.  
  
“Overtime, the inability to find enough resources due to a lack of berries on the isles at that time led those unknown Pokémon to diminish in size so that they could use what resources they had available efficiently. Before last year, this was only a theory, but recent geological evidence has proven this theory as fact. The only fruiting bodies on the isles at that time, were the apples. As time advanced, the grass types came into symbiosis with the apple trees of the area, making use of them as camouflage,” the narrator continues as a clip plays of a hatching Applin, miniscule in size and reptilian in body plan, skitters over to the apple hanging underneath the branch it’s egg hatched on, before speedily gnawing it’s way inside from the bottom upwards,  
  
“As they continued to diminish in size, the Applin line is believed to have figured out how to use the toxic abilities inherit within most Pokémon to preserve apples for future consumption. This would eventually be put to further use when the Applin line finally began to make use of the apple fruits themselves as armor and more complete camouflage,” a timelapse plays of the apple continuing it’s growth with the Applin inside it. A nearby, uninhabited apple stops it’s growth at a surprising three inches tall, with the Applin continuing until it reaches eight inches, “Wild apples are surprisingly small to the eye of most humans. This is due to human domestication of the fruit to it’s current point where an Applin can comfortably fit inside any of the domestic fruits even full grown.”  
  
“At what point the Applin line first developed the split between Flapple and Appletun is unknown. We do know it is a recent adaptation, as is the entire line’s Dragon typing. The Dragon typing is currently thought to have come about from the predation by local Flying types during their breeding seasons, which at the time would have been the Windgull and Mantyke lines,” Windgull are shown alongside a single Pelipper nesting on the ground. It becomes quite obvious this is on one of the Stepping-Stone Seas’ isles due to the small apples in the trees of the background. A quick zoom in of the camera focuses on a single Windgull’s nest, safely nestled right beside the Pelipper. Zooming the camera view back outwards, reveals the entire nest of Windgulls using Gust on the apple trees behind them. As the apples begin to fall, alongside some Applin and Appletun, the Pelipper uses a Backdraft to drag the haul of feed towards the flock. Almost all of the Appletun getaway, having shed significant portions of their humps in the process, leaving the camouflaged Applin and the unfortunate Appletun that got skewered with a full-on stab of a beak behind, “Mantyke teeth and scales intermixed with Bullet Seeds that resemble those used by the Applin line in the geological layers suggest some interaction between the two species at the time. Impact dents in some of the teeth indict altercations between the two species at the time. Given how modern day interactions between the two species tend to be more in Flapple's favour, this would point towards predation by the Mantyke line being incredibly risky endeavour. Thus, this would leave the Windgull line as the predominant predator of the area.” A fast time lapse shows the haul of food shared by the flock over the course of a few hours within seconds before nightfall hits. The Flying types fall asleep, leaving the Applin that managed to go untouched in the feeding frenzy to slowly wobble their apples back into the trees.  
  
“Flapple remains in the geological layers of Galar do point towards Flapple having developed their wings to at least survive the journey back to the Galarian mainland 500 years ago. Currently, it is theorized that Flapple came about due to the inherent combative nature of Pokémon. As they were constantly predated on by Flying-types, the Applin line developed a method of flight to take the fight to their opponents in the sky. The acid their are known for aids in this, burning feathers and reducing flight capability, grounding their opponent. There they can finish off the attacker with well-aimed Dragon typed attacks. Otherwise, if the Flying-typed opponent is too agile for their acids, the Flapple engage in aerial combat through the use of their Flying and Dragon typed attacks. It is currently unknown if Dragon typing came before the split of the Flapple and Appletun. If Dragon typing came first, then Flapple is likely to have been the first evolution. If it has only came about recently, then Appletun is likely to be the original evolution. Further evidence is still needed to determine if the Appletun came before the Flapple, however.”  
  
“Surprisingly, it is currently believed that a colony of Happiny became stranded on the Stepping-Stone Seas sometime between a thousand and five hundred years ago,” The Blissey from the introduction shots of the Stepping-Stone Seas comes back onto the screen. It is shaking a berry tree, in the hopes of getting some lunch. Some berries fall, to the audible distress of a Skwovet, alongside an Appletun. The Blissey’s eyes lock onto the Appletun it immediately lunges towards it. The Appletun, encompassed by the larger Pokémon automatically prepares a Dragon Pulse before noticing the colouration pattern of it’s ‘opponent’ and relaxes instantly. The Blissey, taking care to be gentle, strips off portions of the Appletun’s back hump. Nectar begins to ooze out, and the Appletun sighs in a manner that signifies that of a boring routine. As it is drained of nectar, the apple-like hump of it’s back deflates to a more gradual slope.  
  
“Appletun is well-known for its sweet tasting nectar and the soft hide of it’s back. Appletun will continue to generate nectar within themselves, which needs release. The Happiny line of their native Stepping-Stone Seas will help any Appletun they can, but it’s catching them that is difficult. Appletun are an aboreal species primarily, inhabiting the trees and rarely coming to the ground. In mainland Galar, without the Happiny line to help with this duty, they actively engage opponents in combat and shed their excess nectar that way,” The camera pans from the Blissey helping ‘milk’ the Appletun upwards to the branches of nearby trees. Appletun, in it’s rotund shape, bounds from one branch to another more like a Kecleon than the Snorlax it appears to be. “The splayed limbs and extendable neck mean that Appletun moves in a manner more like Kecleon. Slow and steady wins the race for these Pokémon.”  
  
Another Appletun clambers it’s way down the tree trunk and offers itself for ‘milking.’ The fact that Appletun can shed it’s shed and expel sweet nectar was quite confounding for Professors when it was originally discovered. However, since that time, it has been heavily researched. Currently, it is known that the ability to shed it’s skin and the sweet nectar it regularly produces is an adaptation used to protect itself from the predators of the area. At around the time Appletun is thought to have come into fruition, Skwovet are known to have arrived on the Stepping-Stone Isle, bringing with it many different types of berries. As the Windgull and Skwovet lines have carnivorous tendencies, Appleton gained adaptations to distract it’s predators with sweet nectar and flapping skin,” As the narrator mentions that last fact the camera zooms in on the skin of the Appletun, which can be seen jiggling and moving of it’s own accord, “The fact that Appletun skin possesses the ability to move on it’s own, apart from the Pokémon it came from is an addition factor of distraction.”  
  
“Furthermore, the Windgull line hunts terrestrial Grass-typed prey through the use of their Flying-typed attacks,” a gust of wind knocks an Appletun waiting in the branches for it’s turn for ‘milking’. It shrieks out and propulses a Protect screen, saving it from an Air Slash. Finally tumbling before it’s attacker, the Appletun extends it’s neck out in a Headbutt slamming to the avian Pokémon. The Windgull takes it with minimal backslide, before stabbing out with it’s beak. It punctures a glancing blow, splattering the bird in a spray of nectar and loose hide. The Windgull hisses in disgust as the Appletun scurries to the safety of a tree hollow nearby. The Windgull, covered in sticky nectar and jiggling skin, hisses again as it notes that absence of it’s prey through squitted eyes before it begins to preen itself, “A glancing blow will shed off some of the hide on the hump they possess, spraying the opponent with sweet tasting nectar. The side effect of the nectar that is not often considered is that it binds feathers together making it difficult to utilise Flying-type attacks while also distracting the attacker. Often, Windgull and other Flying types with feathers will stop attacking immediately to cleanse themselves after having attacked an Appletun. The fact that the nectar is also mildly nourishing provides further incentive to clean rather than further the predation attempt.”  
  
___________________________  
Alpha Sapphire: Wingull rides updrafts rising from the sea by extending its long and narrow wings to glide. This Pokémon's long beak is useful for catching prey.  
Sword: Whenever a Blissey finds a weakened Pokémon, it will share its egg and offer its care until the other Pokémon is all better.  
Shield: It (Skwovet) eats berries nonstop—a habit that has made it more resilient than it looks. It'll show up on farms, searching for yet more berries.  
__ Applin Line Pokédex Facts ___  
Shield: As soon as it's (Applin) born, it burrows into an apple. Not only does the apple serve as its food source, but the flavor of the fruit determines its evolution.  
Sword: It (Applin) spends its entire life inside an apple. It hides from its natural enemies, bird Pokémon, by pretending it's just an apple and nothing more.  
Shield: Its (Appletun) body is covered in sweet nectar, and the skin on its back is especially yummy. Children used to have it as a snack.  
Sword: It (Flapple) ate a [sour apple](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Tart_Apple), and that induced its evolution. In its cheeks, it stores an acid capable of causing chemical burns.


	10. Heatmor & Durant: Heatmor Biology

Durant is one of the few Pokémon alive to have next to no weaknesses while in combat. It has all the strength of steel and the flexibility of an insect,” the camera brightens from pitch blackness to a grey-scale tunnel, the bottom portion of the camera depicting the mandibles of a Durant slowly swaying as the ant the camera is affixed to moves onwards, “the only real weakness in the heat of battle, for a Durant, is fire,” the tunnel taking up the camera’s sights suddenly gains colour as shadows flicker and the Durant rushes in, it’s pace having noticeably picked up in speed. It does not take long for the Durant to rush through the brightness of day and reach the surface.  
  
The camera pans around for a moment, moving in slow motion depicting a picturesque mountainside view. Bright green evergreens and deciduous trees glisten with morning dew, as white puffy clouds dot the baby blue sky. One could believe it is absolutely peaceful, if not for the obvious orange highlighting of a fire in the far right of the screen. As the camera continues to pan in that direction, curled up, deceased Durant begin to show. One can tell they are young warriors by unarmoured antenae and the lack of steel 'screws' on their armour. Finally, the camera catches sight of the instigator of the conflict, a Heatmor. It's an experienced Heatmor, judging from the battle scars marring it's ankle and thighs, of which many scars show signs of having come from Durant mandibles. The Heatmor is arched in battle position, legs squatting to support the backlash of pressurized fire being released from it's mouth. Arms downwards, to smack aside or smash any oncoming Durant that get to close. Head slowly wiping back and forth, releasing waves and lashes of fire.  
  
Ever so slowly, a wave of fire begins to dominate the screen as one of the waves heads for the camera-Durant. In almost painful slow motion, the camera begins to pitch back as the camera-Durant notices and responds to the oncoming threat. Suddenly, everything returns to it's normal pace of motion. The fire smacks down just millimetres in front of the Durant, releasing a small impact wave of flame before being snuffed out by the cloud of dirt the impact creates.  
  
“Domestic Heatmor are omnivorous, as most Pokémon tend to be. However, their natural tendencies lead even the Domestic Heatmor variant to prefer an insectivorous diet. In the wilds of untamed regions, Heatmor have been noted to have abandoned their omnivorous abilities to live a purely insectivorous lifestyle. It was once believed that this was due to the durability of Durant’s hide, enabling the Heatmor an easier time consuming the internals of it’s prey, with Durant being a particular favourite,” the Heatmor is alone, breathing flame in a continuous stream, washing over the horde of Durant dancing around it. One Durant, noticeably young as can be told by a loack of steel 'screws' rushes in, landing a Vise Grip on the Heatmor’s ankle. The Heatmor glances down briefly before narrowing the cone of flame from it’s muzzle, momentarily, to slice through the steel armour and kill the Durant in moments, before washing the next oncoming wave of Durant in flame to force a retreat.  
  
The impatient Durant lets loose a death rattle of superheated air from the broken carapace as it curls up in death, it's protective steel armour frying the organic internals. “In recent years, it has been found that Heatmor target Durant because they enjoy having a smorgasbord of prey before them, and the challenge of dealing with the swarm tactics of the hive. This was found out when Heatmor in Kalos, improperly released by a passing Trainer, was observed terrorizing the local Combee populations over the course of multiple weeks before it’s eventual recapture. Afterwards, a series of tests were done on wild Heatmor to see if they preferred Durant over other social Bug types through the aid of Zoroark illusions in which no such preference was found. It would seem that the previous belief was an example of correlation rather than causation.”   
  
The camera-Durant has not been idle as the narrator spoke. It has used the time in which the narrator was expositing to slowly traverse the mountainside for better positioning away from the fight, angling for a good view of the Heatmor, without risking members of the hive. Having settled on a spot on a fallen log, it lets loose a Screech that rattles the camera and it's mounting. The visible distortion from the sound waves hits the Heatmor, alongside two other Screeches, one from closer to the hive entryway and further downhill and behind the Heatmor and away from the camera-Durant, “Heatmor is one of the more unusual examples of how Fire typing can affect the biological layout of a Pokémon. The species respiratory organs have almost completely diverged from it’s digestive tract. While Heatmor is not the only Pokémon with the ability to breathe from a different orifice, it is the only one that can make use of this ability to great effect on the battlefield. Heatmor are well known for their fire mastery, and can hold a solid stream of fire for a greater period of time than any other Fire type known to man. This is a direct result of the fact that they breathe through their tail and launch their fire attacks from their mouths.”  
  
Heatmor’s tail lets out a whine as it clutches at ear-holes in pain. Suddenly, the ground collapses from beneath it, trapping it in a pitfall. The Heatmor cries out, swipes up two Durant bodies in it’s arms as it beats a swift retreat, “Of course, the fact that their breathing orifice is placed away from their line of sight creates a heavy disadvantage as well. The tail does not have any way to stop intaking air while in battle; meaning that should it become submerged in either water or soil, clogged by sand or dust, or even just plugged by a rock or an opponent, than the Heatmor will immediately begin suffocating,” as the narrator exposits that fact, the camera on the Durant zooms in on the Heatmor’s tail. As the Fire type retreats, a cloud of dirt puffs out of it every few seconds in a visible display of the Pokémon’s respiration.   
_________________  
Sword: There's a hole in its (Heatmor) tail that allows it to draw in the air it needs to keep its fire burning. If the hole gets blocked, this Pokémon will fall ill.  
White: Durant dig nests in mountains. They build their complicated, interconnected tunnels in mazes.  
White 2: Individuals (Durants) each play different roles in driving Heatmor, their natural predator, away from their colony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Everyone, Underseawings & I will be putting out a new chapter every other day for the next while. Just thought to let you know. 
> 
> If you have a Pokédex entry you would like to see written out documentary style, let me know and we’ll work on getting something out.


	11. Rattata: Prey Intuition & it's Lessons

An older Kanto Rattata scrounges through the tall grass. It is on the cusp of evolution into a Raticate, as evidenced by the shedding of fur on it’s tail, the bare end having become bald. Submerged within the depths of the vegetation, the rodent is mostly obscured from the wide angle view of a small portion of a sleeping meadow. Slowly panning away from the rodent, the camera depicts the grey-scale glory of slowly swaying tall grass, seeds creating a soothing rustle in the breeze. The scene itself is highlighted by the stars blazing above, not a cloud in sight. In the night vision of the camera, the moon looks akin to the sun of the day in it’s bright glory.

“Night is the time of day which humanity has affected the least. Yet, even then, we have left our fingerprints,” the camera continues it’s rightward panning motion, revealing a halo of light in the far distance. The source is obscured by the barrier of trees, though the nature of those trees is obscured by the distance, “Light pollution from our towns and cities can be seen from miles away. For those populations of Pokémon that live nearby our homes, this can drastically change their natural behaviour. Thankfully for the Pokémon of this meadow, they live far enough away that is little more than a mild curiosity.”

The scene changes from the soft glow of the distant city, to a game camera showing the Rattata up close, nose twitching as it forged for food in the swaying grass. The Rattata pauses every thirty seconds, freezing in place as it’s ears flick about searching for any sound out of the normal. “In the true wilds of our world, Rattata are not the brazen creatures that we recognize invading our homes, they are prey. Many of the adaptations that make Rattata and Raticate such good Pokémon for use early on in the gym challenges come from their history of being preyed upon.”

“The flexible skeleton, able to fit into any hole the same size as their skull, comes from the necessity to squeeze into any crevice they encounter mid-chase, so that they can escape a predator. A highly expansive ‘move-set’ comes in hand as it means that predators will never know exactly what tricks they might bring to bear,” the Rattata freezes, before a flicker of shadow creates a Substitute. The Rattata substitute continues on as normal as the original Rattata slowly moves aside into a patch of particularly thick tall grass. And not a moment too soon as the Substitute is picked up in a flash of talons and then it is gone. Moments tick by before a loud, angry caw sounds alerting the Rattata that it’s would-be predator has noticed the ruse. The Rattata, having decided it would be best to be elsewhere, disappears into the night.

“Of course, the Rattata line’s intelligence is also a boon to those gym challengers that make use of them. Rattata and Raticate are quick to learn when to continue testing their limits, trying new methods, and learning boundaries. If something doesn't work out for a Rattata one way, it is quick to try it again in an new one. Quite a few Rattata die young this way, hence why the Raticates that are found are often one of the more wily Pokémon about. They have gained the experience to know how to get the best results for themselves. And in this case, our Rattata friend has the experience to know that sticking around here is not in their best interests.”  
____________  
Platinum: Cautious in the extreme, its (Rattata) hardy vitality lets it live in any kind of environment.  
Stadium 2: Feared and loathed by many, its (Murkrow) believed to bring misfortune to all those who see it at night.


	12. Noctowl: Emperor of the Night

“When the bright light of Solgaleo’s domain lowers behind the horizon and Lunala’s orb rises into the sky, Noctowl’s reign over the skies of the Great Marsh begins,” a Noctowl, wizened white feathers of it’s crown glowing faint orange in the sun’s dying light, gives the camera a fierce look. The camera slowly pans out, showing the Noctowl in it’s hollow nest, within a grand oak tree, “Within the Great Marshs, the skies belong to the Noctowl. While Staraptor may pose a threat to Noctowl, the fact that Noctowl’s dominion lays with the night means that the two species rarely have disputes over hunting grounds.”  
  
Finally, the sun sets entirely, sending the world toppling from the familiar warm hues of a sunset to the eerie, cool greys of the night. The Noctowl, silently lifts from it’s nest, seeking to gain a better view of it’s kingdom from a perch higher up. The camera follows it as it by-passes a few trees until it settles in the uppermost branches of a Sitka Spruce. Tingly evergreen needles uselessly skitter on yellow scales, as the owl searches the area for any signs of prey from it’s throne up high.  
  
“The Great Marshes once extended over a sizeable portion of the south-eastern half Sinnoh region. However, over time humanity drained out small portions for their own usage and for the usage of their Pokémon. This continued until such time that they realized exactly the damage that they were doing to the environment and declared what was left a national reserve,” as the narrator expositions this, the camera minimizes the Noctowl in it’s search for prey. Instead, the screen is dominated by a map of Sinnoh, with a great blob, sapphire in colour, demonstrating how much area the Great Marsh once took up before shrinking down to a surprisingly small size, “a protected space to preserve what remained of the ecosystem. Nowadays, a good portion of the Great Marsh has recovered,” as the narrator explained the recovery of the Great Marsh, the small circle of Great Marsh began to expand until it was just over a half of it’s former size. A small rectangle near the edge of the Great Marsh is then coloured a bright orange, to indicate the Safari zone of the Marsh, “with a section having been partitioned off for use by league challengers so that they might attempt to catch one of the prize Pokémon that inhabit the area.”  
  
Suddenly, one of the Noctowl’s ear tufts twitches and it takes up the entirety of the screen again. The Noctowl tilts it’s head a hundred and eighty degrees, as if in thought, “Noctowl’s ear tufts are connected to it’s ears. This, combined with the dish-like manner their facial faces are arranged increases their hearing ability, as it guides sound towards their ears. Furthermore, unlike the vast majority of avian Pokémon, Noctowl ears are set asymmetrically on their skulls meaning that they can tell with precise accuracy the distance and direction of the sounds they hear,” Having set a destination by the sounds it has heard, the Noctowl begins a slow falls from it’s throne, great wings catching air so that it might glide in a languid manner. The camera slowly bobs as it follows the nocturnal Pokémon from behind. Even as the camera keeps pace, the only sound that can be heard at all is the soft whistling of the wind, “Noctowl feathers are the amongst the most specialized feathers of all Pokémon. They are highly optimized for the reduction of sound, with comb-like serrations breaking up turbulence before it can be created, alongside the velvety texture of the feathers,” as the narrator explains this, a Noctowl feather is brought up into view on the screen, taking up a quarter with the rest devoted to the gracefully flying predator, as evidenced by it’s slow wing beats. The quarter screen demonstrates the details discussed about the feather.  
  
As the narrator finishes discussing the unique properties of Noctowl feathers, another Noctowl takes up the quarter screen. It is a perches on a stand, as a trainer gets it to fully extend it’s wings out. The wings dwarf the Noctowl’s body greatly, “The far greater size of Noctowl’s wings when contrasted to it’s body, in comparison to other Flying type Pokémon, make it easier for Noctowl to generate lift while also reducing drag,” as the narrator discusses the intricate details of why size impacts lift and drag, the Noctowl is convinced to glide off it’s perch. As it does so, the quarter screen goes into slow motion as the Noctowl passes over a field of downy, white feathers. Despite being not even a full foot over the feather field, the only sign of it’s passing is the whirl of a single feather lifting a few centimeters being returning down to the field. A Braviary is then given the same stretching command to demonstrate it’s large body size in comparison to it’s wings before it flys over the feather field. As it does so, it stirs up a storm of feathers in it’s wake. Thankfully, as this occurs, the narrator is finished with their great deluge of information, “thus making it easier for Noctowl in general to ambush their prey effortlessly through the air. Bravairy, again by contrast, relies on speed and pursuit and thus needs the wing size to body ratio they have for great bursts of speed and power to take on their prey.  
  
The quarter screen finally disappears, leaving the hunting Noctowl to once again dominate the screen. It has finally reached it’s destination, a softly murmuring stream feeding into once of the marsh pools of the Great Marsh. The Noctowl stays well above it all, perched in a birch tree. There it enthrones itself over it’s subjects, waiting patiently for some unseen sign. The camera quietly sways minutely as the Noctowl intently glares over the water’s surface before it finally sees what it was searching for. It drops back into a glide as it slowly goes for it’s goal, a softly bobbing blue orb on the water’s surface.  
  
Everything seems to happen in slow motion as the owl’s wings arch behind it, as it drives it’s claws down into the water, grabbing the lower half of the orb. It’s wings swiftly beat downwards, tips tickling the water’s edge, as it takes back into the sky with it’s prize, a Marill. The Marill screams in panic as it is pulled from the water by it’s tail. The Noctowl quickly fights for height and distance, as the Marill thrashes in it’s grasp. A heartbeat later, and the Noctowl is over soft ground and ready for the kill. The Marill is driven into the ground by a swift dive by the owl, the fall plus the Noctowl’s talons quickly serve in ending it’s life. With it’s prize in talon, the Noctowl flys off into the night to enjoy a hearty breakfast.  
_____________  
Ultra Sun: “With eyes that can see in pitch-darkness, it (Noctowl) never lets its prey escape. Some even call it “the emperor of dark nights.”  
Y: The tip of its (Marill’s) tail is filled with oil that is lighter than water, so it acts as a float.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by BBC's documentary, Super Powered Owls. I have been meaning to do a snippet like this for the longest time. I actually tried to do it the other night, but Rattata got away. Haha.


	13. Drednaw: Rewilding + Aquatic Ambush

A buzzing meadow overlooks a bubbling river that feeds into the pond separating it from the forest. Oddish and Bounsweet daze in their open-faced dens, soaking in the sun. Rosella tend to their patches of Budew, shewing away any Bug-types that they believe take an undue interest in their young. Cutiefly dart from flower to flower, taking in nectar and before basking in the sun’s gaze.  
  
As the camera manages to capture the sublime beauty of the meadow at peace, the narrator begins, “The Wild Area meadows of Galar are thought to be some of the best recreations of the land that was here before the industrial revolution of man. It might be hard to believe, but this area was once a town. The name has been lost to history, but evidence of human habitation can still be seen, if one knows where to look.” As the narrator pauses for a breath, the camera pans over to the river.  
  
The scene transitions to a bubbles racing to the surface, pushed by the current, as piscine Pokémon wriggle past, “While the terrain above the water has had the environment changing prowess of a variety of different kinds of Pokémon to endless shift the landscape over the last century, below the waves only Pokémon who are at least partially Water type in nature have thrived. This means that the landscape down here has had significantly less pressure towards great changes than the surface.” The camera, now focusing on the landscape of the river, picks up hints of former human presence in the area. The camera pans from looks into the current, slowly in a leftward direction until it has done a 180 degree turn. During the course of that turn it an observer can catch sight of a half buried car tire, vanishing into the sediment, the worn remains of a metal pipe sticking out of the opposite riverbank, and the faint glimmers of glass along the riverbed, greatly smoothed by the constant as they shuffle along with the current. “Beach glass is formed when glass, either naturally made or not,” explains the narrator, “gets into fresh water. The current either drags the glass along, smoothing it against the river bottom as it goes, or drags microscopic debris across it as the glass is too heavy to be moved. In the case of this river, it is the former that has occurred. Sea glass is formed in a similar manner, just in a saltwater environment.”  
  
The camera suddenly freezes, as it catches sight of a mound of rock on the riverbed. Amongst the smoothed slate outcropping, a Magikarp finds respite from the current. The outcropping is not just one great burst of rock from the riverbed, but a gathering of rocks that create a foothold for small river plants to grow. All of them are covered in a slick coating of green algae and moss. The Magikarp pauses for a moment before slowly turning towards one of the slate rocks furthest from the formation, and the camera transitions to another to show what has caught it’s eye. Amongst a patch of moss and algae, an insect larva is attempting to burrow into the substrate as it is pinned against a jutting of rock.  
  
The Magikarp allows the current lazily drag it towards its lunch, fins twitching to keep itself upright in a manner not unlike a sailboat. Taking care to avoid the jagged claws of the top of the jut of slate, the Magikarp takes a moment to look for predators before darting in for the larva. As it does so, the camera transitions into slow motion. “Underwater, not everything is as it seems. This unfortunate Magikarp has made the mistake of finding respite here, in Drednaw’s hunting grounds,” as the narrator begins to explain the situation, the Magikarp’s lunge just misses the larva. Creepily, the flat slate piece that the larva was propped against rises, revealing itself to be Drednaw’s upper jaw. As the jaws of the Bite Pokémon rise, the Magikarp’s pupils widen in shock at the deception’s reveal. It begins to desperately backpedal with its fins, attempting to get out of striking range of the Drednaw. As the scene plays out, the narrator explains the Drednaw’s ambush hunting style, “Drednaw are ambush specialists, making use of a variety of ambush techniques to capture prey. This specific individual is luring it’s prey towards itself with it’s tongue, which has developed to look like an insect larva. They’ll burrow into the sediment of the river bed for until only their shell remains above the substrate, at which point they’ll stick out their surprisingly long tongue and go fishing. They can stay submerged for almost two hours, between breaths.”  
  
Drednaw’s jagged beak slowly gapes open for the camera as the Drednaw angles it’s head so that the jaws will get the best grip, a full semi-circle over the Magikarp’s head. Just as the Magikarp begins to do a writhing motion to do a turn, the Drednaw’s maw closes over it. Blood clouds the water as the turtle crunches past the scale armour into soft flesh. Magikarp’s tail flails for a brief moment before freezing as it does. The Drednaw swiftly works its jaws to separate large bites of the fish and it is quickly swallowed over the course of a couple real-time seconds, the slow motion capture of the scene having ended with the death of the piscine Pokémon. A quick replay of the scene shows that the entire situation, from the Magikarp lunging for the lure up to it’s death at Drednaw’s jaws, played out over the course of three seconds.  
  
The Drednaw up-earths itself from its ambush spot, clouding the water with sediment as it goes. It paddles itself steadily in the water, surprisingly quick and buoyant in contrast to its lumbering gait on land. It has made its way to the entrance to its den, an underwater tunnel guarded by the remains of an ancient automobile frame that is haphazardly balanced on the riverbank. “Drednaw, if they inhabit an area with a great deal of threats to themselves, will dig burrows into the riverbanks they hunt along. Once they have dug out an acceptable portion, they will gulp lungfuls of air and bring it into the burrow, slowly filling it with breathable atmosphere. Over the course of a few days, they will have created a maze of tunnels that they can safely relax in in-between their hunts.” The scene ends as the turtle slips into the tunnel entrance, the camera managing a quick glimpse into the labyrinth of the turtle’s home as the Drednaw disappears around a corner within.  
____________  
Sword: With jaws that can shear through steel rods, this highly aggressive Pokémon chimps down on it's unfortunate prey.


	14. Golisopod & Grapploct: Abyssal Honor

Shoals of Wishiwashi glitter past the light of the camera in the dark, as they vanish off into the darkness of the abyss. The faint whir of a submersible drone’s motor and it’s propellers slicing through the water is the only sound audible, for now. Not much can be seen beyond the single beam of light. The only thing the think beam reveals are what seem to be particulate matter swirling in an unseen current.  
  
“This is a sight that is rarely spoken of, let alone seen. Welcome, to the Abyss,” as the narrator begins, the drone flares it’s lights to show the entirety of the drone’s surroundings. The light has revealed a vast plain, the particulates of before revealing themselves to be minuscule invertebrates, the bottom of the plain covered in deep sea sponges, anemones, and urchins. A scattering of sea stars wriggle along here and there, with a scattering of various fish keep their distance from the drone and flitter off into their deep sea reef. At the barest edge of the light, a shipwreck lies with a white plain of empty space between it and the reef. Particulates rain down on everything, and a Gorebyss is stunned above the deep sea reef by the light flash about eighty feet out from the drone, “Mankind knows more about the surface of our moon than we know of the depths of our oceans. Partially, this is due to the hostility of the life that leaves there,” as this is said, a Gorebyss that had been stunned by the flash of light, shakes itself off before investigating the drone. It prods the lens of the camera with it’s mouth, leaving a visible hairline scratch on the glass of the lens. Having determined the drone as nonedible, the pink eel spirals around the drone for a moment searching for weakness. A quick test of the strength of the drone’s structural integrity and the Gorebyss decides it’s more trouble than it’s worth and vanishes off behind the drone, dragging the entirety of its body along the camera lens as it leaves. In the process of doing this, Gorebyss demonstrates just how muscular its body is in reality with every twitch of it’s hide showing muscle lurking right underneath.  
  
“The other reason behind our lack of knowledge of our planet’s depths would be hostility of the environment itself. Even without Pokémon present, creating hazardous operating conditions, the depths of our oceans are extreme. The greatest depths of our oceans are under tremendous pressure due to the weight of the atmosphere and the water above them. The deepest points of our planet are continuously under water pressures of eight tons per square inch. An unprotected human or even terrestrial Pokémon exposed to such pressures would be instantaneously crushed. The Abyss we explore here and now is not at such depths, thankfully. This is the Alolan Abyss, a trench located between the Alola region and the Armor of Isle. Here, we are ‘merely’ two thirds of a mile from the surface meaning that while we are completely isolated from the rays of the sun, we are not at the most crushing depths of the sea.”  
  
The drone stops hovering in place, reduces it’s light to teo small beams to save battery, and begins the trek to the distant wreck slowly. One flashlight beam is aimed at the shipwreck to guide the way, with the other pointed down at the seabed to reveal the life of the Abyss. As it does, the camera manages to capture sight of a deep-sea Kingler (which resemble it’s Gigantimaxed form without the foam beard) foraging amongst the substrate, “As is the case with any kind of extreme environment, some Kingler have adapted for life in the deep sea. Long legs for better transportation on the sea bottom here in the depths, and longer arms for better reach when battling their more agile piscine competitors. The increase of spines along their carapace help them to blend in with their surroundings, and their red colouration remains due to red being the first colour to disappear in the ocean depths. It is currently unknown if Kingler originally came from the depths and adapted to an amphibious lifestyle or if a small population relinquished the land above for the alien life below.”  
  
Continuing along, some Shellder and Clampearl can be spotted burrowed into the substrate, clamped down to hide from the light in their shells. The glimmer of a red gems in the distant dark hints at the presence of Staryu and Starmie somewhere nearby, which the narrator handily points out before going on to describe the advantages of the Psychic types regenerative abilities within the deep sea environment.  
  
Finally, as the narrator finishes describing how the Staryu line can regenerate from a single limb so long as it is attached to their gem, the drone arrives at the wreck. The wreck itself is humongous, a cruise liner that met some unfortunate fate out at sea. “Shipwrecks such as this are often used as refudges by a variety of Pokémon. This shipwreck alone houses a gang of Sharpedo, a father Kingdra and his brood, a conspiracy of Reclinath, a troop of West Sea Gastrodon, a pairing of Jellicent and their cloud of brood, several schools of Wishiwashi, a Bruxish, and even more. We shall visit them later, our first stop is a somewhat more controversial Pokémon,” with that ominously said, the drone slows down even more, such that the churning of it’s propeller can barely be heard.  
  
The drone roves over the wreck for a few minutes, as the narrator exposits how all shipwrecks are inhabited by the Binacle line and the reasons why even the extremely territorial Pokémon that might inhabit those wrecks allow them to (long story short, for janitorial reasons). Finally having found an entryway large enough for the drone, it glides itself in and dims its light down till everything within the ship hallway can only be seen in shades of grey. The drone slowly goes through the halls, showing glimpses of a few rooms that are inhabited by dancing Frillish before heading down some stairs. Taking a left, it isn’t long before the drone enters a large open space of what might of once been a store or club. Resting peacefully at the centre of the room, however, is a meditating Golisopod.  
  
“Golisopod is a Pokémon of a mixed reputation. On one hand, it is a Pokémon of peaceful meditation and peaceful solitude,” the Golisopod seems to take a deep breath as it fans a gathering of eggs are held to it’s chest by it’s smaller chest limbs.The Golisopod has noticed the drone even before it’s arrival at the entrance of the room, as can be told by the slowing swirls of particulates around itself, as it gazed idly at the drone. It seems to dwarf the rest of the room with it’s presence. A sharp twist of it’s antennae and it’s carapace rattles, a shocking sound in the silence of the deep, “On the other, it is a Pokémon of excruciating violence with the frightening capacity to do anything in order to win. Frequently Professors have been asked what is the truth and it is hard to explain that, in the case of Golisopod, that both are true.”  
  
The Golisopod turns away from the drone towards a port on the far side of the room, still bristling it’s chilling war cry. A dark, shifting shape can be seen in the grey gloom. The light of the drone brightens just a smidge, revealing a Grapploct slinking into the room. The Grapploct, while large, is dwarfed by the Golisopod. The Grapploct, notices the eggs in the mother’s clutch as if only just becoming aware of them. It takes a bipedal stance, propped up on three tentacles, and takes a deep bow and holds that position. The Golisopod sighs and waves it into the far corner of the room to await a duel with her mate, before she returns to the centre to return to meditation. As she does so, she continues to gaze at the Grapploct as it slumps into a blue mass of muscle in it’s corner. “Golisopod and Grapploct are natural rivals. Should one become aware of another in their territory, they will seek one another out for a battle that usually ends in the death of one of them. Both Pokémon are of reasonable intelligence, however, so allowances such as this have long been suspected. This is the first time that such a ceasefire amongst Abyssal Wild individuals has been caught on film.”  
  
The scene jumps a moment, signifying that time has passed. “It has taken two days but the male of the Golisopod pair has returned from his hunt. It has brought back a Malamar. The Grapploct allows the pair a final dinner together before they fought, using the moment to hunt down a meal of it’s own. We managed to get our drone back down to observe the duel just in time.”  
  
On the shipwreck’s main deck, the two Pokémon stare down one another from a distance a little over a hundred feet. The female Golisopod watches from a doorway, continuing to fan her eggs from the safety of the indoors. The drone has positioned itself overhead and about two hundred feet out, using the camera’s zoom function to get close-up details. The two opposing Pokémon bow to one another, an ancient ritual of Pokémon to signify a respect of the other’s physical prowess and a desire to test oneself against that physical might. The bow is held by both for a few moments before they begin. The two explode into motion, clashing mid-water in a whirl of motion. The many legs of both combatants strike at their opponent in some places and block incoming blows from others. Large plates forelimbs gripe tentacles and try to pin them to the octopod’s head, even as suction cupped tentacles attempt to bind smaller stabbing limbs to one another.  
  
As they summersault in the water from the combined momentum of their initial clash, they struggle for dominance. The importance of that dominance becomes obvious as the narrator explains, “Both of these Pokémon seem to be evenly matched for one another. As they are avoiding making use of any Moves, which could potentially turn the tide of the battle to one Pokémon’s side all too easily and so would be dishonourable, both Pokémon are employing all of their physical strength and tactical knowledge. This honour is what separates Fighting types from all other Pokémon. Golisopod, while not being Fighting type themselves, often end up adopting the mentality to combat the fear that dominates their early life. Without use of Moves, it is likely that the one that ends up pinned to the floor will be the loser as they lose the ability to get away. In which case they will be killed for eating at a later time.”  
  
Grapploct makes an attempt to use it’s three propping tentacles and its belt tentacle to gain an advantage. Golisopod manages to use it’s legs to prevent three propping limbs from gaining a foothold, and somehow manages to use it’s loin-plating to smack away the belt tentacle. The tumbling of the duo has slowed, with the male Golisopod seeming to have an advantage as it is only just arching over the Grapploct as they approach the main deck. The Grapploct, now entering a stage of until now unknown desperation, reaches out with it’s propping tentacles to try and use the ground to its advantage and swing it’s opponent into the ground. Golisopod, feeling the motion in the water with its antennae, stops fighting the belt tentacle with its legs and moves to brace itself on the main deck. Finally there, the duo struggle for dominance, suction cups fighting with claws in an attempt to see who has better traction on the slick wood floor.  
  
The struggle goes on silently before both Pokémon break off from one another. They watch the other silently before the Golisopod makes a laughing motion, even as the Grapploct writhes in a jovial manner. Both Pokémon reach for a portion of one of their mid-section limbs before tearing it off. Both grimace in pain, before ‘walking’ along the deck to hand it to their opponent. The Grapploct, as the challenger, consumes the Golisopod’s dagger limb first, not pausing even to even crunch it into more manageable portions with it’s beak. Likewise, the Golisopod swallows the still writhing end of Grapploct’s belt tentacle candidly. Both Pokémon bow to one another before Grapploct takes off beyond the dim light of the drone. “Many brawls between Wild Grapploct and Golisopod have been observed while in the shallows. Very rarely do they end in ties such as this fight did and never have the participants severed their own limbs to offer to the other. Exactly what such actions mean will only be discovered with future exploration of the Abyss.”  
_______________  
Sword: It (Golisopod) will do anything to win, taking advantage of every opening and finishing opponents off with the small claws on its front legs.  
Shield: They live in sunken ships or in holes in the seabed. When Golisopod and [Grapploct](https://m.bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Grapploct_\(Pok%C3%A9mon\)) battle, the loser becomes the winner's meal.  
Sword: A body made up of nothing but muscle makes the grappling moves this Pokémon (Grapploct) performs with its tentacles tremendously powerful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to my co-creator AnimalKrazed for helping me out with some of the scenes in this one. I got a little confused about how to proceed at a few spots and he helped point me in the right way to go.


End file.
